1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a computer having front cover for peripheral equipment, and more particularly, to a computer having front cover for peripheral equipment which prevents the peripheral equipment from being damaged by inhibiting the entrance of foreign substances like dust or motes into the inside of the computer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, computers are furnished with various peripheral equipment such as a floppy-disk drive, provided as an auxiliary storage device to write and/or read data on/from a floppy disk.
Such peripheral equipment is installed internally or separately from the main body of a computer. The diskette slot of the floppy disk drive is exposed outwardly from the corresponding computer unit to allow for the reception of a floppy disk. Because of the vulnerability to dust and other foreign substances with is structure, a prior art computer is furnished with a protecting device. The protecting device is generally a door which is installed on a front surface of a chassis portion of the computer unit. This door is installed so as to shield the diskette slot when the user is not using the computer, and the door is slidably installed such that it can be mounted and dismounted from the computer, or the door is pivotally installed on one side thereof. Thus, the diskette slot can be accessed by sliding or pivoting the door, and covered, to prevent the inflow of dust, by returning the door to the initial position.
The use of a door to protect peripherals is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,574,625 for a Portable Information Processing Apparatus Having Multiple Rotatable Port Covers to Ohgami et al., which shows a portable information processing apparatus having multiple rotatable port covers. Numerous covers are used to gain access to various peripheral equipment in the portable computer. U.S. Pat. No. 5,557,499 for a Hard-Disk Drive Tray Assembly With Pivotally Rotatable Front Bezel to Reiter et al discloses a hard disk drive tray assembly with pivotally rotatable front bezel. The bezel has a built-in handle which allows a user to securely grasp onto the hard disk drive tray assembly during transportation from one location to another. The bezel is open or closed and is used in the hard disk drive.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,586,003 for a Computer Device Carrier Door and Bay Filler Panel Combination Gear and Guide Pin to Schimitt et al. discloses a computer device carrier door and bay filer panel combination including gear and guide pin. In order to provide insulation against dirt and dust invasion, and to restrict individuals from inserting foreign objects into the chassis which could cause catastrophic failure to the system, the carriers are often provided with doors which serve to seal the bay after the device insertion. The mount has a pinion gear to rotatably engage the rack as a door is opened and closed and a guide pin which enters the open end of the channel door when the door is open and travels within the channel as a door is opened and closed.
U.S. Pat. No 5,593,220 for a Cantilevered Latch Mechanism for An Enclosure to Seid et al. discloses a cantilevered latch mechanism for an enclosure. For a personal computer having a latch and release mechanism having at least two parallel cantilevered arms that allow the mechanism to have both strength for holding the enclosure to the computer and restrained flexibility that causes the distal end of the latch and release mechanism to travel translationally for releasing the enclosure.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,423,605 for a Front Panel Structure For a Personal Computer to Liu discloses a front panel structure for a personal computer. By depressing resilient hooking members opening the front panel can easily be removed from the computer casing. If a sliding door is used, the utilization of such a device is cumbersome, and if a pivoting door is used, because the door is supported only on one of its sides, it is easily broken when the door is subjected to an outside shock. I have found that in the latter case, the door does not open in a smooth and controlled fashion because the pivoting speed of the door is not controlled. This acts to diminish the overall quality of the computer unit.